Sugar, Slavery, Fur Trading, and Christianity and Native Religions (681-686)

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Sugar and Slavery in Portuguese Brazil-

While Spanish America concentrated on the extraction of silver the Portuguese depended on the making and export of sugar.
Spanish and Portugese empires had two different labor recruitment:
Spanish- conquistadors used sedentary people with good administrative systems and made them want to work in the mines and estates of mexico and peru
Portuguese- relied on african slaves.
Like the Spanish the Portuguese tried to enlist locals for labor
Unlike Mexico and Peru the Brazilians were not sedentary cultivators
Brazilians resisted the efforts to try and get their labor
They evaded Portuguese forces by retreating to interior lands
It was hard to find many natives because many died from diseases
Imported African slaves as early as the 1530s
Started relying on them on a large scale by the 1580's
The extreme work and work conditions on a engenho took a heavy toll on the slave community
Lost 5-10 percent of their slaves annually
Was a constant need for slaves
Slave children were born into slavery and were given a financial outlay for 12 years. Was seen as a financial loss
It is said that for every ton of sweet substance cost 1 life
Africans and their descendants became the majority of the population not just a secondary work force as in Spanish america
Colonial Brazilian life revolves around the engenho " the sugar mill"
The demand of workers sometimes exceeded the supply so they eventually used indentured laborers that sold themselves to pay off debts
Indentured workers were still used in the early 20th century and some even became influential figures
Owners of engenho's were seen as a high social class
Sugarcane required an extreme amount of work to make to make profitable exports
Engehos required both heavy labor, the planting and harvesting of the sugarcane, and specialized skills, those who understood the intricacies of sugar making
Used both agricultural and industrial enterprises
Engehos were among the most complex enterprises in the Americas
sugar was the most important export in the colonial economy
Portuguese planters could count on strong royal support, due to contributions to the governments revenue

Fur Traders and Settlers in North America-

Europeans first cam to the shores of North America in search of fish
Settlers displaced indigenous peoples from their land and turned there hunting grounds into plantations
Settles would have died if it wasn't for the native americans
Eventually, French and English migrants started stabilizing the society and began to distance themselves from natives
Fur Trade began when fishermen started to barter with the indigenous people
After explorers found convenient entrances to rich fur lands through the Hudson Strait and the Hudson Bay they began to systematically exploit the lands
Native people trapped the animals and exchanged the furs for manufactured goods including wool blankets, iron pots, Firearms, and distilled spirits.
Fur trade created tremendous turmoil
The beaver population depleted so much that they had to go to other lands and territories to find them. This frequently caused war.
For example the war between the Hurons and the Iroquis. where the Iroquis, who were allies with the dutch in New Amsterdam, crushed the Huron due to the firearms provided by the dutch
As the colonist number increased they exploited the land for cash crops to sell back in Europe.
As early as 1616 colonist exported 2300 pound of tobacco
As the need for the addictive weed increased so did the culitvation
In 1624 200,000 lbs were exported
In 1638 3,000,000 lbs were exported
By the 18th century southern colonies established plantations that produced rice, indigo, and tobacco
In the 19th century cotton became a huge plantation crop
Plantations need cheap labor first solution was indentured slaves, this was a person who would sell a portion of their life (usually 4-7 years) to working for the plantation in exchange their passage across the Atlantic would be payed for.
during the 17th and 18th century indentured slave flocked to the united states in search of a new life
Eventually the English settler found use in slaves from Africa
in 1661 Virgina law said all blacks are slaves,
By 1750 120,000 black slaves tilled Chesapeake tobacco
180,000 cultivated Carolina rice
Northern colonies didn't have the need for the slaves.
Though they still profited from the slave trade
Many New England merchants traded slaves destined for the west indies
Mid 18th century half of the merchant fleet of Newport carried human cargo
New England became the profitable center for the distillation of rum
The main ingredient of rum is sugar which is produced by slaves in the West Indies

Christianity and Native Religions in the Americas-

Wanting to spread Christianity was a big motive in the European's ventures over seas
Many natives continued pagan religions into the 17th century
Natives practiced there traditional religions in secrecy
Tobacco was commonly used during pagan ceremonies
In Europe, tobacco was viewed upon as a divine drug
After its discovery in America it spread to Europe, Asia , and Africa
Natives believed that there gods abandoned them when the Spanish came and many decided to convert because of protection
When the natives converted they combined there own pagan beliefs with Christianity
The Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to a peasant in Mexico City in 1531 and helped make sure that Catholism would control cultural and religious in Mexico
Although French and English missionaries attempted to converted natives, the Spanish were the most fervent in trying to convert them
English colonists did not want them in their agricultural and commercial society
Priests served as representatives to the crown
The Spanish missionaries learned native languages and tried to simplify the concepts of Christianity
Bernardino de Sahagun compiled information about the native language, customs, beliefs, literature, and the history of Mexico